Abolition Movement This movement is all about abolition, or attempting to get rid of slavery. Blacks in this time period were treated unfair, and most were kept as slaves to the whites. All blacks and even a lot of whites were against slavery. Their main goal in this movement was to completely get rid of it. A lot of people had key roles in this issue, and the attempt to get rid of it went anywhere from little petitions to violent mobs. All the blacks wanted was to be treated as equally as whites, and have a lot more freedom. This movement had its successes, but not as many as most people involved would have hoped. The abolition movement can be described as an attempt to get rid of slavery until 1863. Many African Americans felt that they should not have to do the "dirty work" for their white owners during the 1800's. As the years kept passing, more and more white people in the North starting realizing that slavery was not in the best interest of their country. On the other hand, the South begged to differ. They felt that slavery was crucial to the success of the Union so that the economy throughout the states could prosper. This is not to say that all the South was for slavery, but it was enough to cause sectionalism throughout the United States. Finally, after all the violent rebellions, threatening petitions, and public speeches, the Abolition movement got rid of slavery with the 13th Ammendment. Causes
Slaves and even free blacks were being treated unfair.
They had restrictions on everything, and their own laws, different of whites, of what they could and could not do.
All blacks and many even whites wanted everybody to be treated equally.
There were many causes of the Abolition movement. First off, many black families felt that is was not right for them to have different laws then the whites. After all, the constitution does say, "All men are created equal." So as you can imagine, this was really frustrating for all the black people who had to suffer because there skin color was darker than "the norm". Secondly, many families were seperated by the slave trade. White slave owners had auctions where they could buy, sell, and trade their slaves. This seperated mothers from their children and husbands from their wives which many black people felt was not right. Why shouldn't they be allowed to stay with their family? Finally, like previously mentioned, the constitution says, "All men are created equal." The arguement here was that if this is what the fathers of our country wanted, then why shouldn't this arguement be addressed to everyone living in the United States?
Goals of the Movement
Get rid of the restrictions set on blacks of where they could go and what they could do.
Get rid of the laws that restrained the African Americans from doing the same everyday things that the whites did.
Make blacks just as equal as whites were.
Get rid of slavery everywhere throughout the U.S.
Tactics/Strategies
There were many tactics abolitionists used to fight slavery.Probably the most well known was the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was started by an escaped slave, Harriet Tubman, who returned to the south atleast 15 times to help her fellow slaves to the north to freedom. Other key tactics were the use of the press, for with the printing press, It was easy and cheap to produce and circulate anti-slavery papers. Someone well known for this was Frederick Douglass, who like Harriet, was born into slavery and escaped, and also assisted on the Underground Railroads. Another tactic was the forming of Anti-Slavery groups, such as the AASS.
The underground railroad was the most common strategy to help free slaves.
Use of the press helped free blacks create their own papers to help spread abolition. (for example The Liberator by William Lloyd Garrison)
Blacks revolted against their masters. (For example Nat Turners Revolt)
Some women went door to door to ask whites to sign a petition to free blacks.
Key People
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in the 1820’s and grew up working various farms. In her twenties she escaped from slavery making her way up into northern states. While in the north she worked various jobs and eventually became a ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad (the same method that helped her gain freedom.)During the Civil War, and she acted as a spy for the Union during the civil war. Harriet’s efforts helped to free dozens many of the slaves over several decades. Harriet Beecher Stow Harriet Beecher Stow was the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and was able to reach out to many Americans through her novel portraying African Americans and slavery. The novel was able to bring to life the daily struggles that slaves faced. Stow and her family were supporters of anti slavery and hosted a safe house for the Underground Railroad. William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison was the founder and editor of one of the most controversial newspapers of the that time period, The Liberator which preached anti slavery beliefs. He was took part in the creation of the American Anti -Slavery Society which eventually spread to over 1,000 chapters throughout the country. Garrison not only fought for the abolition of slavery but was also a key player in the women’s rights movements fighting alongside with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Stanton and Lucy Stone. Grimké Sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimké started their anti-slavery women’s rights speeches in the 1830’s and quickly became popular voices during the abolitionism movement. The sisters devoted their lives to social equality and crossed barriers speaking out to blacks. whites, men, and women. Frederick Douglass Like Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery and managed to escape at a young age. During his life he too was a ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad and was well known for composing moving speeches on anti slavery and women’s suffrage. He is best known for his first autobiography Life of Fredrick Douglass which depicted his life from slavery to freedom. Lucretia Mott Mott founded the Philadelphia female Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. She was one of the many women that played a major role in abolitionist movement. Key Events Nat Turner's Slave Revolt
The red area is where the slave revolt occurred. I changed this picture.
The Civil War Another rather important event in abolition was the "end" of southern slavery. When the Civil War ended, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves over which the Union had no power. Even though not every slave was freed the very day the Emancipation Proclamation was released, slaves only existed in the some areas of the South that were still in Rebellion. Successes The north was successful in winning the war, thus helping bring an end to slavery. The abolition movement didn't have many successes, but it was the ultimate start to getting rid of slavery.
Free blacks had more rights in the north during the abolition movement.
Many white people(mostly northerners) started excepting blacks as equal, and turned to the religion quakerism.
Helped women realize that they had rights too.
Failures Many lives were lost in the battle over the abolishment of slavery.
The civil war started.
Many people lost their lives trying to express their opinion on abolition.
Sectionalism spread throughout the United States.
Rebellions started.
Primary Sources
A letter from Harriet Tubman to Abraham Lincoln in 1862.
http://caho-test.cc.columbia.edu/ps/10177.html
In this article Tubman is telling President Lincoln how unfair she thinks slavery is. She has been through a lot herself, and he has the power to make it all stop.
lllllllllllllllllll2. Frederick Douglass's "Fourth of July Speech in 1852.
http://www.milestonedocuments.com/document_detail.php?id=92&more=fulltext
Douglass wrote this speech to the President, and everybody else in the country. He mentions a lot about how we are free, yet slaves are not. He believes they should be, and a lot needs to still be changed since he knows how it was once being a slave himself in the past.
lllllllllllllllll3. William Lloyd Garrisons first Liberator editorial speech in 1831. http://www.milestonedocuments.com/document_detail.php?id=7&more=fulltext
This was one of the first articles Garrison wrote in his paper, the Liberator. He is another person who has been through it, and knows the truth about how terrible slavery can be. He wants to do anything possible to end it.
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=837 When entering this link, scroll down to The Female Anti Slavery Society section and click on The Liberator January 2nd 1837. This link is an actual copy of an entry in the paper The Liberator. It talks about an Anti-Slavery Fair that was held. It told the readers what was sold and what the items said. It is relevant to this reform movment because it was one of the ways the abolitionists got the word out to others throughout the country. The Author of this document was the female anti slavery society and it was published in 1837. Exploring Diversity in Pennsylvania History.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/sl004.asp This primary source is the written act of prohibiting importation of slaves within juresdiction of the United States. This pertains to the abolition movment because this was one way of the government trying to stop slavery. The Avalon Project Yale University.
http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/tp&CISOPTR=49470&CISOSHOW=49469 This primary source is an actual clipping of the Milwaukee Newspaper in Wisconsin. It was talking about a vote that took place about black sufferage. This pertains to the movement because it was a turning point in history for the United States. The Daily Milwaukee Newspaper 1865. Bibliography
Walters, Ronald. "History Now American History Online." Abolition. sep 2005. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Web. 17 Nov 2009. <http://www.historynow.org/09_2005/historian.html>.
Abolition Movement
This movement is all about abolition, or attempting to get rid of slavery. Blacks in this time period were treated unfair, and most were kept as slaves to the whites. All blacks and even a lot of whites were against slavery. Their main goal in this movement was to completely get rid of it. A lot of people had key roles in this issue, and the attempt to get rid of it went anywhere from little petitions to violent mobs. All the blacks wanted was to be treated as equally as whites, and have a lot more freedom. This movement had its successes, but not as many as most people involved would have hoped. The abolition movement can be described as an attempt to get rid of slavery until 1863. Many African Americans felt that they should not have to do the "dirty work" for their white owners during the 1800's. As the years kept passing, more and more white people in the North starting realizing that slavery was not in the best interest of their country. On the other hand, the South begged to differ. They felt that slavery was crucial to the success of the Union so that the economy throughout the states could prosper. This is not to say that all the South was for slavery, but it was enough to cause sectionalism throughout the United States. Finally, after all the violent rebellions, threatening petitions, and public speeches, the Abolition movement got rid of slavery with the 13th Ammendment.
Causes
There were many causes of the Abolition movement. First off, many black families felt that is was not right for them to have different laws then the whites. After all, the constitution does say, "All men are created equal." So as you can imagine, this was really frustrating for all the black people who had to suffer because there skin color was darker than "the norm". Secondly, many families were seperated by the slave trade. White slave owners had auctions where they could buy, sell, and trade their slaves. This seperated mothers from their children and husbands from their wives which many black people felt was not right. Why shouldn't they be allowed to stay with their family? Finally, like previously mentioned, the constitution says, "All men are created equal." The arguement here was that if this is what the fathers of our country wanted, then why shouldn't this arguement be addressed to everyone living in the United States?
Goals of the Movement
Tactics/Strategies
There were many tactics abolitionists used to fight slavery. Probably the most well known was the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was started by an escaped slave, Harriet Tubman, who returned to the south atleast 15 times to help her fellow slaves to the north to freedom. Other key tactics were the use of the press, for with the printing press, It was easy and cheap to produce and circulate anti-slavery papers. Someone well known for this was Frederick Douglass, who like Harriet, was born into slavery and escaped, and also assisted on the Underground Railroads. Another tactic was the forming of Anti-Slavery groups, such as the AASS.
Key People
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in the 1820’s and grew up working various farms. In her twenties she escaped from slavery making her way up into northern states. While in the north she worked various jobs and eventually became a ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad (the same method that helped her gain freedom.) During the Civil War, and she acted as a spy for the Union during the civil war. Harriet’s efforts helped to free dozens many of the slaves over several decades.
Harriet Beecher Stow
Harriet Beecher Stow was the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and was able to reach out to many Americans through her novel portraying African Americans and slavery. The novel was able to bring to life the daily struggles that slaves faced. Stow and her family were supporters of anti slavery and hosted a safe house for the Underground Railroad.
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was the founder and editor of one of the most controversial newspapers of the that time period, The Liberator which preached anti slavery beliefs. He was took part in the creation of the American Anti -Slavery Society which eventually spread to over 1,000 chapters throughout the country. Garrison not only fought for the abolition of slavery but was also a key player in the women’s rights movements fighting alongside with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Stanton and Lucy Stone.
Grimké Sisters
Sarah and Angelina Grimké started their anti-slavery women’s rights speeches in the 1830’s and quickly became popular voices during the abolitionism movement. The sisters devoted their lives to social equality and crossed barriers speaking out to blacks. whites, men, and women.
Frederick Douglass
Like Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery and managed to escape at a young age. During his life he too was a ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad and was well known for composing moving speeches on anti slavery and women’s suffrage. He is best known for his first autobiography Life of Fredrick Douglass which depicted his life from slavery to freedom.
Lucretia Mott
Mott founded the Philadelphia female Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. She was one of the many women that played a major role in abolitionist movement.
Key Events
Nat Turner's Slave Revolt
The red area is where the slave revolt occurred.
I changed this picture.
The Civil War
Another rather important event in abolition was the "end" of southern slavery. When the Civil War ended, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves over which the Union had no power. Even though not every slave was freed the very day the Emancipation Proclamation was released, slaves only existed in the some areas of the South that were still in Rebellion.
Successes
The north was successful in winning the war, thus helping bring an end to slavery.
The abolition movement didn't have many successes, but it was the ultimate start to getting rid of slavery.
Failures
Many lives were lost in the battle over the abolishment of slavery.
Primary Sources
- A letter from Harriet Tubman to Abraham Lincoln in 1862.
http://caho-test.cc.columbia.edu/ps/10177.htmlIn this article Tubman is telling President Lincoln how unfair she thinks slavery is. She has been through a lot herself, and he has the power to make it all stop.
lllllllllllllllllll2. Frederick Douglass's "Fourth of July Speech in 1852.
http://www.milestonedocuments.com/document_detail.php?id=92&more=fulltext
Douglass wrote this speech to the President, and everybody else in the country. He mentions a lot about how we are free, yet slaves are not. He believes they should be, and a lot needs to still be changed since he knows how it was once being a slave himself in the past.
lllllllllllllllll3. William Lloyd Garrisons first Liberator editorial speech in 1831.
http://www.milestonedocuments.com/document_detail.php?id=7&more=fulltext
This was one of the first articles Garrison wrote in his paper, the Liberator. He is another person who has been through it, and knows the truth about how terrible slavery can be. He wants to do anything possible to end it.
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=837
When entering this link, scroll down to The Female Anti Slavery Society section and click on The Liberator January 2nd 1837.
This link is an actual copy of an entry in the paper The Liberator. It talks about an Anti-Slavery Fair that was held. It told the readers what was sold and what the items said. It is relevant to this reform movment because it was one of the ways the abolitionists got the word out to others throughout the country.
The Author of this document was the female anti slavery society and it was published in 1837. Exploring Diversity in Pennsylvania History.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/sl004.asp
This primary source is the written act of prohibiting importation of slaves within juresdiction of the United States. This pertains to the abolition movment because this was one way of the government trying to stop slavery.
The Avalon Project Yale University.
http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/tp&CISOPTR=49470&CISOSHOW=49469
This primary source is an actual clipping of the Milwaukee Newspaper in Wisconsin. It was talking about a vote that took place about black sufferage. This pertains to the movement because it was a turning point in history for the United States.
The Daily Milwaukee Newspaper 1865.
Bibliography